Review of McDowell
Posted: 04 Sep 2021, 16:38
[Following is a volunteer review of "McDowell" by William H. Coles.]
Imagine the most arrogant, sexist, and self-serving man on the planet. Then add immense wealth and talent. These traits make up renowned surgeon, philanthropist, and mountain climber, Dr. Hiram McDowell, the protagonist in William H. Coles's novel McDowell.
Unfortunately for McDowell, his personality has finally caused him to burn one bridge too far. A colleague of Dr. McDowell exposes him for malpractice on a ground-breaking medical research trial. This marks the beginning of a long fall from grace which forces McDowell to reevaluate what he values in life: power and money or love and connection. Along the way, the reader also explores the tragic lives of the McDowell family members and the cutthroat world of private investigators looking to get the latest scoop on the McDowell saga. The novel also broaches controversial topics like gun violence, assisted suicide, wealth inequality, and the South Asian practice of chhaupadi huts, in which a menstruating girl is expelled from their homes to live in primitive dwellings until her period is over.
William Cole has succeeded in delivering an extremely engaging novel. It truly is a book that readers will struggle to put down. Cole masterfully constructs a universe where nobody can trust anyone else, where emotional connection is just a tool of manipulation and everyone is out for themselves. McDowell also constructs numerous unique and interesting characters with their own baggage including a bookstore owner, a hotel manager with body image issues, and an elderly artist living in a trailer park. The characters are so well constructed that the reader will feel disappointed that more chapters are not devoted to fleshing out their nuances.
The editing is where Cole falls short. This novel clearly has not been professionally proofread, as there are numerous instances of poor grammar. Cole particularly struggles with capitalizing proper nouns such as 'West Coast.' It truly is a shame that such bad editing would be allowed to blemish such a stellar novel. Cole also had a nasty habit of placing a period after an exclamation point.
Due to the unfortunate state of the editing of this novel, I will give it 3 out of 4 stars. If it were not for the numerous typos, I would have given this novel full credit for being a must-read for those in want of a good book to read. I would recommend this book to those who are especially interested in strange, abrasive, and unique characters. I would also recommend this book to people who enjoy literature that is dark and cynical in tone.
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McDowell
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Imagine the most arrogant, sexist, and self-serving man on the planet. Then add immense wealth and talent. These traits make up renowned surgeon, philanthropist, and mountain climber, Dr. Hiram McDowell, the protagonist in William H. Coles's novel McDowell.
Unfortunately for McDowell, his personality has finally caused him to burn one bridge too far. A colleague of Dr. McDowell exposes him for malpractice on a ground-breaking medical research trial. This marks the beginning of a long fall from grace which forces McDowell to reevaluate what he values in life: power and money or love and connection. Along the way, the reader also explores the tragic lives of the McDowell family members and the cutthroat world of private investigators looking to get the latest scoop on the McDowell saga. The novel also broaches controversial topics like gun violence, assisted suicide, wealth inequality, and the South Asian practice of chhaupadi huts, in which a menstruating girl is expelled from their homes to live in primitive dwellings until her period is over.
William Cole has succeeded in delivering an extremely engaging novel. It truly is a book that readers will struggle to put down. Cole masterfully constructs a universe where nobody can trust anyone else, where emotional connection is just a tool of manipulation and everyone is out for themselves. McDowell also constructs numerous unique and interesting characters with their own baggage including a bookstore owner, a hotel manager with body image issues, and an elderly artist living in a trailer park. The characters are so well constructed that the reader will feel disappointed that more chapters are not devoted to fleshing out their nuances.
The editing is where Cole falls short. This novel clearly has not been professionally proofread, as there are numerous instances of poor grammar. Cole particularly struggles with capitalizing proper nouns such as 'West Coast.' It truly is a shame that such bad editing would be allowed to blemish such a stellar novel. Cole also had a nasty habit of placing a period after an exclamation point.
Due to the unfortunate state of the editing of this novel, I will give it 3 out of 4 stars. If it were not for the numerous typos, I would have given this novel full credit for being a must-read for those in want of a good book to read. I would recommend this book to those who are especially interested in strange, abrasive, and unique characters. I would also recommend this book to people who enjoy literature that is dark and cynical in tone.
******
McDowell
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords